And so, here we are with in-progress photos of an afghan - my first afghan, an afghan intended for my grandmother.
Having just started on the project, the first four stripes don't look like much.
The pattern is based on a chevron / ripple stitch that I got from a stitch library book; it begins with a multiple of 10 chain stitches plus 4. In this case, I've pegged the width of this thing at 100 stitches.
The pattern consists of a sequence of 3 dc + dc3tog [forming the "valley"] + 3 dc + 3 dc in the next stitch [forming the "peak"]. So, yeah, it's not so much a pattern as it is variations on the double crochet - child's play for most crocheters. The thing that makes it different is the sheer *scale* of the thing, I guess.
Close-up on one section of the afghan shows the peak-and-valley pattern.
I'm making this afghan for someone who is quite special to me: my maternal grandmother. Since I was a kid all I ever called her was "Mama". I have to say she and I were quite close while I was growing up. Vigorous, intelligent, and always easy to talk to, she was very popular among both friends and family and was pretty much loved by all.
In 1999 or so Mama suffered a stroke. She got back on her feet, but, well, she was no longer the same. I'm glad to report now though that things are looking up for her: her memory is improving, and apparently her skills at playing mahjong were NOT affected by the stroke.
Some people reminisce fondly about their grandmothers making things for them like blankets or well-worn stuffed toys. I have to smile because in this case I have to reverse the pattern - here I am, working on a present for her.
The idea is to finish this afghan before December so that I can give it to her as a Christmas present. I had to give myself a long timeframe because I can only work on this project during the weekends. I'm either going to finish it with some kind of simple edging or something, or follow tradition and put tassels / fringe on the short edges.
All I can do is keep working, and keep hoping I can finish in time. Slow but sure wins the race.
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